Rod Wise, September 2014

Critics of Coles and Woolworths such as Malcolm Knox (August) portray the supermarkets as bullies picking on the “little guy”. However, as Knox reminds us, many supermarket suppliers are not small dairy farmers and family vegetable growers, but other large businesses such as Dulux, Mirabella and Yakult. Recent strategies of the Big Two to disrupt the cosy supply arrangements that saw Australians paying inflated prices for generations are to be applauded. Why should Australian customers or the ACCC worry if suppliers are feeling some pain? The income of suppliers, whether large or small, is not my concern. I’m the real little guy.